These Clemson football signees could make immediate impact as freshmen in 2024

Wednesday will mark another uneventful National Signing Day at Clemson – each member of the Tigers’ 2024 recruiting class signed their letters of intent in December.

The focus soon will turn to the field. With Clemson football kicking off spring practice on Feb. 28, freshmen will be striving to make positive first impressions.

By the time the spring game is held on April 6, it will be evident which of coach Dabo Swinney’s 15 midyear enrollees are leading candidates to be early contributors during the 2024 season.

The seven players who won’t arrive until midsummer will have to wait until fall practice to impress the coaches, but delayed arrival didn’t prevent Antonio Williams and Tyler Brown from emerging as the team’s top receivers in 2022 and 2023, respectively.

Here are five freshmen who stand a solid chance of making their presence felt sooner than later this fall:

Wide receiver T.J. Moore

He won’t arrive on campus until summer, but the rangy Moore may be just what Garrett Riley ordered to juice up the Clemson offense.

Ranked as the No. 5 wide receiver nationally by the 247Sports Composite, Moore possesses the size and skill to compete for playing time right away. With the exception of Ronan Hanafin, who also is 6-foot-3, Moore will be the Tigers’ tallest receiver and provide a Mike Williams-like target on the outside.

“He’ll be a matchup nightmare,” said Jeris McIntyre, his coach at Tampa (Fla.) Catholic. “He’s what you’re looking for in a big-time wide receiver.”

Wide receiver Bryant Wesco Jr.

Wesco is slightly smaller than Moore, but no less effective. The 6-2, 170 pounder had 109 receptions at Midlothian (Texas) High, averaged 17.5 yards per catch and had 29 touchdowns.

He’s been on campus since early January and will participate in spring practice.

“Really excited about him and the versatility of his game,” Swinney said.

Wesco returned three punts for touchdowns as a senior and could have played basketball or competed in track and field at the college level, according to Doug Wendel, his high school coach.

“I’d be surprised if he doesn’t pick up the offense quickly,” Wendel said. “And I think in the next two years he’s going to put on 15, 20 pounds and just be a specimen.”

Running back David Eziomume

Phil Mafah, the Tigers’ leading rusher in 2023, is back for his senior season, but he won’t be receiving all the carries this fall.

With Will Shipley moving on to the pro ranks and Domonique Thomas transferring, Eziomume could be next in line. He already boasts great size at 6-1, 205 and will benefit from being an early enrollee.

An outstanding pass catcher, he had 500 yards receiving as a high school junior in addition to 700 yards rushing, including 180 yards on three carries in a playoff game.

“He’s a home run hitter,” Swinney said. “And a perfect fit for this class.”

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Linebacker Sammy Brown

Barrett Carter and Wade Woodaz are returning at linebacker, but the bet here is that it’ll be difficult to keep the Tigers’ premier recruit in the class off the field.

A midyear enrollee rated as the nation’s No. 2 linebacker, Brown was recipient of the 2023 High School Butkus Award presented to the nation’s top linebacker and was a powerlifting, wrestling and track champion at Jefferson (Ga.) High School.

“Everybody knows a lot about Sammy Brown,” Swinney said. “Super excited to finally get started with him. He’s a dude and we all know that.”

Kicker Nolan Hauser

Field goals were problematic for the Tigers last season, but early enrollee Hauser has the potential to bring immediate relief. During his career at Hough High School in Cornelius, N.C., Hauser became the national record holder for career field goals with 66.

“That’s a position where we’ve got to get better and have some competition and he’s definitely going to bring that,” Swinney said. “He’s the best kicker in the country – simple as that. He’s an athlete.”

Much like his parents, who were both athletes at Clemson. His mother, Sheri, was an All-America in soccer at Clemson and his father, Scott, played baseball for the Tigers. His sister, Ella, is a junior soccer player for Clemson.

Scott Keepfer covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at skeepfer@gannett.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ScottKeepfer

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Clemson football signees who can make impact as freshmen in 2024